


REBIRTH

by ecstatic_shock



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Angst, Drama & Romance, M/M, Mentions of Death, Mild Gore, Suspense, Swearing, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-03-01 05:46:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13288251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ecstatic_shock/pseuds/ecstatic_shock
Summary: Living in a post-apocalyptic world surrendered to the REBORN, Chanyeol can only trust the group he has decided to live with, and the system they have created together...In seemingly the blink of an eye, everything Chanyeol has known gets ripped into pieces, and he finds himself on his own.That is, until he meets a peculiar man who tries to convince him that the Reborn do not need to be killed, and things take a different turn.Chanyeol remembers the goal.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Before you get to reading, I would like to inform you that you should keep an eye on the tags with every update. For the sake of keeping them spoiler free until it gets to the point, I am adding more as I update.  
> The first few updates will come rather soon, the rest will happen irregularly, so please bare with me.
> 
> Enjoy!

 

_It was hard to adjust to the changes the world was put through in the blink of an eye. I never imagined the end of the world to be like this, but somehow, I found myself in the middle of it all and with no escape. It’s kind of weird to be a part of - what feels like - the only sane people left in the world. But a certain group of people was always here to cheer me up when I thought it couldn’t get worse - but even that faded away after a while._

 

Chanyeol watched the few curls of hair fall into the sink; he had let his raven black hair grow too long, and although he was recommended to get a buzz cut, a simple trim was enough for him. He put the pair of scissors down and proceeded to wash his hair thoroughly, enjoying the heavy smell of peach and strawberry. It was long overdue - Chanyeol felt revived and fresh. Stepping away from the sink, Chanyeol took a look at himself in the gigantic mirror.

 

His plump lips were cracked and dry, his eyes had lost their spark and his hair stuck damp to his forehead. Chanyeol was exhausted.

 

He left the bathroom in order to find his friends in the living room. He had excused himself from the table, using the bathroom as a weak pretence when in reality everyone knew he was dying of worry. Jongin and Yixing weren’t back yet.

 

It had been their turn to provide for their food stock. Money and normal grocery shopping was no more, and so they had to drive as far away as possible to get food and bring it back to their bungalow. They were well off at the moment, a vast stock gathering in a room especially chosen for it. The boys weren’t starving, that was for sure. Practical and strategic thinking from everyone created a rather safe environment for them, considering the circumstances. The eight men lived together peacefully, and although they had planned every food run and every safety precaution out until it seemed like nothing could go wrong, fear lingered in every one of them. They were well off, _but_. There was always a ‘but’.

 

“This is bullshit,” he heard Kyungsoo say in the living room. His friends were still all gathered around the wooden table, watching Sehun and Jongdae doing their assigned task. Kyungsoo had never been subtle about his impatience regarding their attempts to contact other survivors. His apathetic attitude was discouraging to the whole team, and Chanyeol feared he might be responsible for an unhappy incident sooner or later.

 

Jongdae hushed him. A few heads turned to face Chanyeol when he re-entered the room. He sat down on their couch, head in his hands and unlike Kyungsoo, patiently waiting for Sehun and Jongdae to announce their progress. He tried hard to focus on their words, but he found his mind wandering onto Jongin and Yixing.

 

There was a policy. Everyone had to go for a run, there were no exceptions whatsoever aside of injury. Everyone needed to provide for their more-or-less comfortable living and no one benefitted from the other’s risk of death without contribution. The people then chosen for the run had to follow the rules they had all cautiously set up - any straying lead to a possible death. They had to return at the time they had picked together: a ten hour time span was the minimum, fifteen hours were the maximum. Had the pair not returned after fifteen hours, a group of three would be set up to look for them. The route for the run  - path there and back - was solid, planned by all eight together. Any straying lead to a possible death. If the group of three was unable to find them in the planned emergency-points, or anywhere along the route, the pair had to be called. The use of cellphones was strictly forbidden as well - unless under absolutely desperate circumstances or emergencies, like this situation for example. If the pair failed to answer their phone, they had to be dropped and it had to be assumed that they were two people less from now on.

 

It was a little hard. It created a feeling of distance between once close friends. But they all agreed that their rules and precautions were necessary for a successful survival together - if anyone failed to obey the rules, everyone was painfully aware of the result that would have. And so they tried their hardest to do their best always, and never disregard any of the rules that have become self-evident. Chanyeol was proud of the system they had created together. It was logical, and this way any bad happenings could not be anyone’s fault as everything was planned together and agreed to by everyone. Although their  rules did lead to a peaceful togetherness and secure living conditions, they also slowly built chasms between them. Chanyeol was aware of that, he assumed everyone was, but it never changed his attitude towards the one person he would give his life for, and never give up on: Jongin.  Jongin and Yixing weren’t back yet, but no one said anything.

 

“I think it might be possible that you forgot our rules.” Chanyeol spoke up all of a sudden, gaining the attention of his team mates. They weren’t only survivors at this point. They were a team.

 

“What do you mean?” Junmyeon replied softly. Junmyeon was a treasure to the team, and a well respected member. His father used to love the idea of hunting, although it was forbidden in Korea, and taught Junmyeon everything about it. Additionally, Junmyeon worked as a security guard in a club. He conceptualized their security measures, and found their bungalow in the first place. Although it remained unspoken, Junmyeon still felt like a leader to an otherwise leaderless group.

 

“We gave Jongin and Yixing twelve hours for their run. It’s been thirteen. Shouldn’t we look for them?” Chanyeol said.

 

Junmyeon glanced at Kyungsoo before replying in the very same soft tone he had used before. “Chanyeol. We look for our team members after fifteen hours. If they don’t return within two hours, we will definitely look for them. You know the system.”

 

Junmyeon was right, everyone knew, and Chanyeol knew too. But no one had ever taken longer than the approved time allowed, why did Jongin have to be the first scare? Chanyeol’s heart was heavy and anxiety spread in his stomach, but he pushed those feeling aside and nodded. Junmyeon gave him a warm smile and returned to watching Jongdae and Sehun fumble with the secured telephone. It was the only phone that was freely usable. Their job was to call random numbers, and the goal was to reach out to fellow survivors and determine a plan on how to proceed together, once proven legitimate. They’d be lying if they said they haven’t talked to _Reborn_ on the phone before.

 

Reborn were the reason why the boys hid and fought for their survival in the first place. Years ago, people started vanishing in South Korea. They returned a few weeks later, but mad, violent and unpredictable. They were sure the main intention of Reborn was not to kill other individuals, but rather, turn them into people of their own kind. Sooner or later, families started to isolate themselves, people set up safe houses that were easily found by Reborn. Reborn were just simple humans, turned crazy and stronger, and the only way to determine if a person is a Reborn was the rash that spread across their throats and nape of the necks. They had the same intellect as any other person, which made survival incredibly difficult.

 

In the beginning, Chanyeol was on his own. His parents were of the first few people to vanish, and he was able to escape the youth welfare office when the uncontrollable disappearances were announced. He was taken in by Jongin’s parents after, who had been grieving the disappearance of their daughter Sooyoung. Jongin and Chanyeol had been through it together, from the very beginning. It had strengthened their relationship. They’d been friends for so long, and surviving the apocalypse together made them inseparable. Even when Jongin’s parents disappeared after desperately looking for food, Jongin had found consolation in Chanyeol, who had been through the same. The word _close_ didn’t even describe them anymore; the loneliness and sadness they had felt during this awful period of time was sweetened by the other’s presence, even if it wasn’t for long. They cherished that.

 

Sure, it had made things incredibly hard for both of them … but at the end of the day, they were best friends.

 

And Chanyeol was going mad because of the thought that Jongin might be in danger somewhere out there, and their friends did nothing about it.

 

Jongdae put the receiver down. “Thirty calls. Not one of them successful.”

 

“Two hours then. Our next task is to wait for Jongin and Yixing,” Junmyeon explained the obvious. Chanyeol was sure he did it solely to calm him down in some way, and he didn’t know if he appreciated the effort or not. He had the right to be upset. He had the right to fear for his friend’s life.  
But Chanyeol was also ashamed that he couldn’t bring himself to feel the same about Yixing, who was probably in the very same situation as Jongin. Chanyeol and Yixing were friends, they all were friends and they cared for each other; it pained the former to know that the only person out of the seven he would do anything for was Jongin. Chanyeol needed to make sure that the relationships between each other were strengthened again.

 

Two hours passed, and it felt like an eternity.

 

Chanyeol stood in the middle of the living room, a simple furnished room kept clean and practical, clearly volunteering for the search and eyeing his team-mates to see who would volunteer and who would have to be assigned to. Everyone knew Chanyeol and Jongin were so close it barely left breathing space, so Chanyeol volunteering was no surprise or something to be fought over.

 

Minseok volunteered as well. He was one of the more quiet members, but always ready to help and very caring. He arose from the couch he and the others were seated on and walked to stand by Chanyeol’s side. The others remained seated. A few moments later Junmyeon stood and joined Minseok and Chanyeol. Junmyeon, just like Minseok, was incredibly caring and also very brave. He was one of the people who’d pull his shirt off his back for anyone, but he was by no means naive.

The team was complete. Jongdae moved to reach for the box with the six remaining cellphones to hand three of them to Chanyeol, Minseok and Junmyeon.

 

“I’ll get the sheets for the route so we can map it out,” Sehun said. “Hey, that rhymes.”

 

But he didn’t get to reach the cabinet in which they had stored their paper, because one of the cellphones in the boxes chimed.

 

Chanyeol held his breath and hoped for good news. But considering the rule of using the phones solely for an absolute emergency, it could only be a mixture of both or a cry for help. He was ready to sprint out of the front door if he had to.

 

Minseok held his breath as he accepted the call and put the phone on speaker. “Yixing?” Kyungsoo called out from his seat, leaned over and stare fixated on the floor, completely focused and ready.

 

“I just.. I just..” came Yixing’s breathless reply, startling the remaining boys at the bungalow. Sehun’s eyes locked with Junmyeon’s in fear, as everyone awaited Yixing to say more.

 

“I just wanted to inform you that we’re close to home,” Yixing’s voice was steadier now.

 

“Is everything alright? We were about to come look for you! Do you need help?” Minseok replied, stern and clear.

 

Chanyeol dreaded Yixing’s reply. He needed good news. Good news, please.

 

“Well, more or less. Jongin and I were injured after fleeing from Reborn and getting stuck in barbed wire. Our legs are bloody, and it burns like one hell of a bitch. Jongin is hurting more than I am, he’s resting in the back of the car. I had to drive around for longer than usually planned before coming because of the Reborn that followed us. I was very tempted to shoot them, but the distance was great enough and I of course remember our policy. It could’ve caused more problems in the future, so I didn’t do it. We’re close now, and we brought something very special. You’ll be delighted. I hope this gives us free access to the candy,” Yixing bubbled, a little louder than before, and surprisingly lighthearted for someone with the injuries he stated. Everyone in the room was visibly relieved, everyone but Junmyeon.

 

“Please hurry,” Junmyeon frowned.

 

“Promise,” Yixing replied, and hung up.

 

Chanyeol went for the store room they had converted into a hidden spot for their weapons. He grabbed a machine gun they had acquired on a run one day and made his way to the front door.

 

“What are you doing?” Kyungsoo called. The others didn’t even bother. Chanyeol held on tightly to the weapon as he left the bungalow through the backdoor and stepped into the night.

 

His wristwatch read two A. M. A chilly breeze ruffled Chanyeol’s hair and tickled his face. His clothes fluttered around his body. He turned to climb up the steel ladder they had attached to the building. It was one of the very first things they added to the place and both a good precaution and a risk - they were able to watch over the place on the low roof of the bungalow, but just how they could spot Reborn, the Reborn could see them as well. They were yet to figure out a solution.

 

Once Chanyeol settled on the roof, he felt someone move behind him and found out it was Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo sat down next to him, and they both took deep breaths of the cold winter air. Their lungs were filled with frosty wind, and once they exhaled, it made itself visible in form of a misty cloud right in front of them. Winter had always been the hardest season for them, because it was difficult to keep warm during the nights and move without leaving trails through the snow. They had to reach their stock goal quickly before the snow stayed. So far, it’s only snowed a little every now and then, and was usually gone soon after, not necessarily endangering them. But they were safe at night anyway.

 

“Don’t you think living in a world where we have to worry if our friends will get home safely is absolutely fucking shitty? What are we doing here? When do we get to fight back?” Kyungsoo spoke up all of a sudden, startling Chanyeol. Chanyeol turned to face him and saw Kyungsoo staring right at him.

 

“I don’t think we’re in any condition to think about fighting back,” Chanyeol admitted. “I agree that it’s shitty that we have to worry so much all the time, but really, if our situation doesn’t become better by itself somehow, I’m afraid we can’t do much to fight.”

 

“Why do we have to wait ‘till it happens on its own? Why can’t we make it happen?”

 

“Soo. Please be realistic. Who would you fight?”

 

“I thought you were one of the few who understood me. If we wanted to do this, we’d find a way!”

 

Kyungsoo was right. Chanyeol and him were more of a pessimistic kind, while the others always tried to see the best in every situation. Even though they shared that trait, Chanyeol couldn’t agree with him on fighting back. His main priority was that they were safe, and he believed that Kyungsoo was a little delusional for believing they had a chance without an obvious one flying towards them.

 

“Kyungsoo, really, I … I need you to understand that sometimes all we can do is wait.”

 

“Oh, _you_ are one to say that, right! Jongin was late for only _one hour_ and your ass was shaking!”

 

Chanyeol didn’t know how to respond at first. “Look, that’s a completely different thing. I’m allowed to worry about my friend. It’s not the same us putting all of our lives in danger in order to follow some delusional dream.”

Kyungsoo fell back onto his elbows and Chanyeol looked at him from above. “I thought we had a chance, Yeol. I didn’t think you’d call common sense a delusional dream.”

 

“Dreams are dreams for a reason, Kyungsoo. We don’t have a chance, it’s not common sense. How do you fight something that you can’t touch? If you want to be a Reborn, no one’s gonna stop you. But other than turning into a Reborn or dying, nothing else is going to happen.”

 

Kyungsoo chewed on his bottom lip. His lips were very voluminous, and of a pretty heart shape. A few years ago, Chanyeol would’ve done anything to press a kiss onto those lips. Today, he had gotten over those feelings for Kyungsoo and learned that there was no space for love in this world. The only person he still cared enough about was Jongin.

 

“Right, right.”

 

There was silence for a moment. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo looked at each other for a little longer. It wasn’t awkward at all, surprisingly, and then they fixed their eyes on the dark sky. Whenever Chanyeol looked longer at a particular star, it vanished, and he was reminded of how he’d always ask his mother about that and why the moon follows him when he was younger.

 

Chanyeol missed his mother, he really did. He missed his father. They’d been a normal and happy family before everything happened, why did that have to be taken away? It had been the same for everyone he lived with today. Everyone sympathized, everyone understood. Why did they still fight? Why did Kyungsoo still want to just … leave and _do_ something?

 

This group was the best decision Chanyeol had ever made. When he was living alone with Jongin, they weren’t as well off as they were now. The only consolation they had was the other - they never ate well, they always slept with one eye open out of fear, nowhere they settled felt safe enough to relax the shortest amount of time. And although they’d constantly been tensed up, the atmosphere between each other had never been so. Chanyeol trusted and loved Jongin as his best friend. Jongin felt the same way. And even though that was working for them, they made bad decisions nevertheless. At the end of the day, it never really mattered though, because they most important thing was that they were together. Chanyeol didn’t want to lose that anytime soon. And so he would wait for Jongin, always. Even if it meant waiting for years.

 

Chanyeol was pulled out of thought when he heard rustling from the ground. He shot a glance at Kyungsoo who nodded at him, signaling he had heard too and was ready as well. They weren’t afraid: Reborn were incredible slow at night, and they doubted that Reborn would’ve found their way here just now. However, the possibility was still there, and so Chanyeol held onto his machine gun and Kyungsoo was positioned right behind him. Chanyeol pulled his shirt up to cover his mouth and stop his breathing from giving him away if it were really Reborn approaching them. Kyungsoo did the very same, and his shirt said ‘CUT HERE’ right over his nose now. They crawled over the roof, Chanyeol making sure he held the machine gun up so that it wouldn't slide across the ground and make unwanted noises.

 

Chanyeol gave Kyungsoo a sign and they both peeked over the edge, only to see a limping Yixing trying to hold Jongin upright. Jongin groaned and almost grabbed his apparently injured leg, stopping himself the last second and let his hand tremble as it hovered over the wound. He withdrew the hand and put it in his mouth instead, biting down hard to distract from the pain in his legs.

 

Relieved that no Reborn were to be seen, the two men removed the shirts from their faces and Chanyeol swung his weapon over the roof and let it smack against the wall, gaining Yixing and Jongin’s attention. Chanyeol climbed over and dropped to the ground, followed by Kyungsoo. Since Kyungsoo was shorter, his attempt appeared a little awkward.

 

Once they were back on their feet, they instantly ran to aid their friends. In the bright moonlight, Chanyeol was able to see countless of long, open wounds scattered across Jongin’s legs, his pants almost completely ripped and the remaining cloth blood stained. Yixing was a little better off: only one of his legs was injured, and not as severely as Jongin’s. Chanyeol assumed that Jongin must've stumbled upon the barbed wire first.

 

He wrapped his arms around Jongin and lifted him up. Jongin wasn't particularly heavy, but he was almost as tall as Chanyeol so he had trouble adjusting him in a way that allowed Chanyeol to see the path in front of them. Their bungalow was surrounded by a tremendous amount of traps, and he couldn't just walk forward until he bumped into something like he usually would have. He settled on carrying Jongin bridal style, which was also beneficial for avoiding more pain on Jongin’s side.

 

Yixing insisted that he could walk, arguing that he had carried Jongin to the car and helped him get this far. Kyungsoo then grabbed Yixing’s arm and threw it over his shoulder to offer stability. The two then limped after Chanyeol and Jongin.

 

Jongin hissed in Chanyeol’s strong embrace. Chanyeol was utterly grateful to see him alive; he wasn't doing well, but he was alive.

 

“Hang in there, we’re gonna get you patched up in a minute, Jonginnie.”

 

“I told you not to call me that.”

 

“You're dying and you're mad about how I call you?” Chanyeol chuckled. He felt Jongin’s stare in his neck.

 

“Let me down, please.” Jongin said.

 

Chanyeol glanced down at him. “You can't walk though?”

 

Jongin sighed and closed his eyes. Chanyeol smiled as he knocked four times on the front door and took three steps back. He looked behind him and waited for Kyungsoo and Yixing to move back as well. The path they had left trapless was extremely narrow, barely allowing one person to walk freely on their own. Kyungsoo and Yixing walked the path sideways.

 

The iron door swung open to reveal an armed Sehun and Junmyeon. The sight wasn’t startling, but natural. Upon seeing their friends, Junmyeon and Sehun lowered their weapons and sighed in relief. They extended their hands to pull them inside and Sehun was already all over Jongin’s injured legs.

 

“Does it hurt?” Sehun said, as he pressed his palm down on the gaping wounds in Jongin’s left shin.

 

Jongin shouted out in return and bit his hand once again.

 

“You fucking bastard,” Jongin groaned and kicked out with his left leg, but Sehun backed away.

 

“I’m taking that as a yes,” was the reply. Chanyeol rolled his eyes. Sehun was a pain sometimes. He walked towards the table, followed by the others, and Jongdae was kind enough to pull the chairs away for Chanyeol to lower Jongin onto the table without troubles.

 

Minseok approached them with their first aid equipment. Yixing took a seat next to Chanyeol, and propped his leg up on a chair. His wounds were long, but very thin. Jongin’s on the other hand were both long and wide, and he had a greater amount of them.

 

“What happened?” Minseok mumbled as he shared he kit with Jongdae to take care of Yixing.

 

“We were ambushed,” Jongin sighed. “We had just loaded what we found into the car, and went back for the weapons we had left inside of the store.” He paused and looked around, examining the worried faces. Chanyeol wasn’t entirely sure, but he could’ve sworn that Jongin avoided his eyes.

 

“Coming back out, those bastards ran right towards us. I have no idea where the hell they came from. How many, Yixing? Seven, eight?”

 

“I think they were about eight, yes,” Yixing replied, flinching at the alcohol being poured into his wounds.

 

Jongin hissed when Minseok did the same with his wounds. “Eight of those fuckers. They were so close we couldn’t even get out of the building, so we ran back inside. I fell over a lawn mower,” Jongin said bitterly. “I got up and looked for Xing but he was nowhere to be seen. The Reborn were getting closer, and so I just mindlessly ran ahead calling out for him. Eventually I found him and we ran upstairs.”

 

“If you were upstairs, how did you get these then?” Sehun said and was about to tap his wound before Jongin slapped his hand away.

 

“Here it comes, it was kinda epic though, right Xing?”

 

“It wasn’t epic, it was ridiculous.”

 

Jongin grinned. “You see, the back of the building had fire escape ladders. We ran down as quickly as possible, but the platform wasn’t secured and so it gave away beneath our weight. I fell right into a container filled with shards of glass, and, you guessed it, barbed wire.”

 

“I fell onto the edge, slipping one leg into the container but removing it rather carefully. That’s why I’m better of.”

 

“I’m sure I heard your nuts crack, though.”

 

“It wasn’t that bad,” Yixing replied and stifled a soft laugh. “Chanyeol kicking me was worse.”

 

Chanyeol grinned at that. Although the two were in pain, they still had enough strength to be cracking stupid jokes.

 

“Anyway, I was stuck, and the Reborn were nowhere to be seen. We were pretty fast once reunited, so I think they couldn’t keep up. Xing had to pull me out of that mess, and that hurt more than falling into the container in the first place.”

 

Junmyeon joined in. “Obviously. The wire had just penetrated your skin.”

 

“Right, yes. I wasn’t able to walk on my own since then, Xing had to carry me. We were super slow, so he put me down at the corner of the building and looked around. No one was there. Our car wasn’t too far away, so we went for it.”

 

“Let me guess, they appeared out of nowhere?” Chanyeol said.

 

“Ah, almost.” Yixing replied. “They appeared shortly after we reached the car. I had to make sure Jongin was okay in the backseat before I drove off. I could’ve just shot them, but Junmyeon doesn’t allow that.”

 

Junmyeon bit his lower lip. “I guess I would’ve under those circumstances.”

 

“How would we know? ‘Any straying leads to a possible death,’ that’s what you always say. And we couldn’t even call to ask.” Jongin huffed.

 

“Are you doubting our system? You called anyway, right? I think this is enough for now,” Junmyeon was visibly angered, feeling justified. Jongin had already doubted their system before, which was something they had been able to perfect after lots of bickering and fighting. There was no reason for him to be angered because of it

 

“Your injuries are in no way Junmyeon’s fault, remember that,” Chanyeol reminded them. They had all agreed to their rules.

 

Chanyeol watched Junmyeon and Kyungsoo walk off while Minseok finished up bandaging Jongin’s legs. Jongdae had finished way earlier. Chanyeol squeezed Jongin’s hand, but the latter withdrew it quickly. He frowned, but Jongin didn’t look at him. Did he do something wrong? Chanyeol eyed his best friend for a little longer, but Jongin never turned to look at him. He eventually decided to drop the matter for now and ask Jongin about it later.

 

Chanyeol took the ladder into their sleeping space. The bungalow Junmyeon had found for them had a secret bunker, it’s entrance hidden beneath the carpet and a table in the store room. The bunker had the sole purpose of hiding them at night and during emergencies. Although Reborn were less active at night, the possibility of an ambush always remained and it was better to be safe than sorry. The security system they had figured out was fool proof. The bunker had a ventilation shaft and a camera monitor. Minseok had stolen a few cameras and installed one over the front door, over the back door, on the roof, in the living room, and in the kitchen respectively. Minseok did his best to install them in hidden places, and everyone thought he’d done a good job. Chanyeol felt safe like this, and he knew everyone else did. At night, everyone slept peacefully. A perk of sharing a sleeping space in the winter was that the body warmth added to the mediocre warmth provided by their blankets. The summer was hell.

 

He was the first one there. He changed into comfortable clothing: a simple shirt, and worn out jeans. He would’ve loved sweatpants, but they simply hadn’t had the time to look for any. There was always the danger that the clothing had been touched by Reborn, and so they shared the clothes everyone brought with them when they had moved in together. Somehow, sweatpants hadn’t been among those. But Chanyeol has gotten used to the feeling of old denim.

 

One by one, his friends joined him. They all slept in sleeping bags they had gotten from a camping store, and beneath thousands of blankets. Were the circumstances not so depressing, it would’ve made for a cozy feeling. But at night no one spoke. Everyone needed the rest. In the normal world, it would’ve made the best slumber party, but here no one made a sound.

 

Chanyeol pushed the blankets away and clamped one between his legs. He turned on his side and noticed that Jongin was sleeping further away than usual. Jongin usually slept inches away from his face, but now there was enough space to fit another person in between. Chanyeol brushed the thought off. He was being dramatic. Jongin and him were okay. They were best friends.

 

Jongin was wearing shorts, and Chanyeol saw that his legs were completely wrapped up from knees to toes. His thighs had a few plasters here and there. Sehun had been so kind to help him down the stairs because Jongin had been unable to even stand for longer than thirty seconds.

 

Usually they would speak until they fell asleep, but today they have barely spoken with each other. Chanyeol tried his best to not assume the worst; Jongin’s experiences today had been quite traumatic, and he’d gotten serious injuries - Chanyeol felt bad for centering himself when Jongin was clearly not okay. He and Yixing might have played it off and portrayed it as no big deal, but the encounter with the Reborn could have cost their lives.

 

Chanyeol shifted around in his sleeping bag. He felt so uncomfortable and guilty recapping what Jongin had told him. It was nowhere close to his fault, but he felt too responsible for Jongin and so this distance that Jongin had initiated threw him off a bit, but Chanyeol tried his best to understand.

 

Chanyeol was pulled out of thought when Jongin’s peaceful sleep became uneasy, and Jongin started turning left and right, kicking his injured legs and mumbling incoherent things under his breath. The dim emergency lamp that was always on throughout the nights casted its light onto Jongin’s face and Chanyeol was able to make out pearls of sweat forming on his forehead. Chanyeol rose on all four and crawled over to wake Jongin up; Jongin used to have nightmares all the time when they were living alone, and Chanyeol was used to it.

 

He placed his large hand on Jongin’s shoulder and moved him softly. Jongin didn’t wake up, and so Chanyeol leaned down to whisper.

 

“Jongin, wake up,” he murmured, but Jongin only turned on his side, facing Chanyeol now.

 

“Jongin, you’re having a nightmare,” Chanyeol continued to shake Jongin and he watched as Jongin’s eyelids fluttered, then opened, and with a sigh Jongin closed his eyes again.

 

“Today was pretty rough,” Chanyeol spoke again. He kept his hand on his friend’s shoulder and eyed him closely. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”

 

“I told you all what happened, didn’t I?” Came Jongin’s murmured reply. Chanyeol didn’t want to force him into talking, but he kept making attempts to get some more conversation out of Jongin. It didn’t even have to be about the incident - he just wanted to talk to his best friend.

 

“I see… does it still hurt?”

 

“Not really. Minseok did a great job.”

 

With that, an awkward silence overcame them and Chanyeol patiently waited for Jongin to speak up again. Jongin wasn’t usually like this.

 

After a while, Jongin did speak up.

 

“Chanyeol…”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I think I messed up.”

 

Chanyeol didn’t know how to react. He looked down again and saw his friend staring at him, frowning and worry reflected in his eyes. Jongin propped himself up on his elbows and Chanyeol shuffled away a little to make space for him. He heard Jongdae sighing in his sleep and Chanyeol put a finger on his lips, signaling Jongin to lower his voice.

 

Jongin rubbed his hand over his face and the dim light made his skin glow in a soft, orange light, dipping it into a soft glow. “I don’t know, Chanyeol. What should I do?”

 

Chanyeol wrapped his hands around his knees. “What do you mean? What’s wrong?”

 

Jongin sighed and looked at him, worry in his eyes. “I think … I think I made a mistake today. I can’t pinpoint what, but I have a really bad feeling …”

 

“Jongin. A lot happened today, but keep in mind that our plans are foolproof. It’ll be alright.”

 

“What if it won’t?”

 

“Hey, we’re alive, aren’t we? That’s what matters. Just sleep for now.”

 

Jongin looked away. “I don’t want to.”

 

Chanyeol came closer. “Why?”

 

“My nightmares make me worry. I don’t want any more of them.”

 

Jongdae started coughing. The boys turned their heads to look at him and saw their friend shaking in his sleep. They always tried hard to avoid getting sick, but this winter started out particularly hard. Jongin and Yixing injured, Jongdae getting sick, it was best if they stayed home throughout the whole winter after their next few runs. They had to be prepared, after all.

 

Jongin grabbed the blankets and covered himself. “You can go to sleep, though. I don’t want to keep you up.”

 

Chanyeol smiled at him. “It’s alright.”

 

“And I’m sorry for being so distant. I’m having a hard time lately…”

 

There you go. “Why is that? Anything bothering you?” Chanyeol took the opportunity. He was relieved to finally know that the distance wasn’t something that came natural to Jongin, but was something that he regretted and was aware of.

 

“I’m just tired of all of this.”

 

“Kyungsoo?”

 

“Yeah, I guess.” Jongin chuckled.

 

“Don’t let him get to you. This is our past, present, and future. It’s not going to change too soon.”

 

“You’re right.”

 

Chanyeol and Jongin kept talking about their lives until late into the night. Oblivious to the actions taking place outside the bungalow, not even taking a glance at the monitor that was supposed to warn them of harm coming their way … but it was just a deer.

 

It was just a deer.


	2. Chapter 2

Note

 

 _It is important for any viewers to keep in mind that the following transcript is confidential material and needs to be handled with discretion. Furthermore, we need to inform you that the source of the material is unknown, although a few names are mentioned, we have been unable to either find someone with the name who has experienced the event or anyone who could be associated with the mentioned individuals. Our sole task is to turn this audio diary into a somewhat comprehensible script for viewers to read comfortably -_ _any actions that are stated were assumed by sound and context_ _._ **_We cannot guarantee accuracy_ ** _, however, we can guarantee that we have done anything we could to try and create the best version of earlier scripts._

 _This script is the diary of a fellow survivor, who unfortunately remains unknown to us. We have learned a lot through his descriptions and, for he didn’t exclude the possibility of the tape being found, surprisingly detailed explanations of his situation and mind. We are grateful for his thoughtfulness and help developing our community more, even if that wasn’t his intention, but one thing is fundamental:_ _this tape has already been dealt with and any further negotiations and policies based on its content are strictly forbidden for the sake of keeping our community upright._

_Although we do not know who the original creator is, and the content of his tape appears extraordinary and surreal, we have achieved greatness with his tape. The creator will forever remain a hero to our community and we will forever be grateful for the tape and information he left behind._

_Based on his experiences, knowledge and situations, we could build a system and community that effectively lived in hiding from the ‘Reborn’, how the creator started to call them. We used his knowledge to our benefit and, with the help of scientists living within our community, evaluated it to prove credibility and likeliness. We never doubted the words of the creator, and the evaluation did not prove this decision to be wrong—he spoke the truth about Reborn, and exposed that there was a lot more to them than we had first believed._

_Our respect and gratitude cannot be put in words._

 

 _We would still like to speak a warning, because the following content contains_ **_possibly_ ** _disturbing content—and uncensored strong language—not suitable for certain readers._

 

Legend:

 

Regular Font without HTML Coding—words of the creator

_Regular Font printed in italics—any other individual recorded on tape/emphasis_

Regular Font with underscore  —Editor’s Notes

(…) between lines—pause longer than one minute

'Reborn'—a term the creator has been using. Apparently the name given their bearers in the news. It was unknown to us before.

 

_The Editors._

 

~*~

 

[Recording Number (1) of ???’s Audio Diary. Recorded ??/??/????.]

 

They don’t want me anymore.

 

Ever since it began, I was always with my friends. We were everything we had - during these hard times, I was happy I could rely on my friends. An odd feeling of … how should I put it … safety? It’s not the right word. We were still scared, we never thought we were safe but … _consolation_ , yes. It was great to have someone to be here for you.

But they don’t want me anymore. I don’t know why, I’ll never know why.

 

They asked me to stay away from them and so I did. They said that I am a danger to them, and so I left. My heart … my heart was so heavy, because all I’ve ever done was take care of and protect them. Now they want me gone? I didn’t fight, I didn’t want to.

 

It all began when we escaped a group of Reborn. It was close, but we did. We promised each other that we’d take care of each other. We had an advantage towards other survivors, but it didn’t matter. Our disadvantage was that two of them are so incredibly sick.

 

[RATTLING]

 

(…)

 

Hey? Hello?

 

Alright, it doesn’t matter anyway. You wouldn’t care about my friends, right? It’s just me now. So I’ll just… I will just tell you what happens to me now, okay?

 

I feel a little weird talking to myself when no one really is here. Maybe no one will listen to this stupid tape. Maybe no one will even fucking find this. I’ll be dead one day, and no one will care about my friends either.

 

Whatever.

 

I’m on my way to my hometown now. There’s a forest at the border, and it takes about fifteen minutes by car to reach my house from there … I don’t know, around two hours in total? Then I should be at my place. I won’t tell you how my house looks like, because if you’re listening to this, you probably know.

 

[We did not find the tape in a house. It was found in a parking lot nowhere near a ‘regular home’.]

 

[STEPS]

 

[STEPS]

 

[STEPS]

 

Okay. Maybe you actually want to know what I’m doing right now. I found a car, and I’ll be taking it to drive home. I’ve been walking for the past three hours, and I’m really relieved. I saw a couple of Reborn a moment ago, so excuse the weird silence. I tried to talk to them but they ignored me.

 

I’m getting in the car now. My plan is to reach my hometown and try to continue my life as normal. I had planned to be with my … friends, and help them, but looks like I won’t be. I myself don’t really have a problem here. Maybe I will get a dog! I miss my dog, he died when all of this began. At least with a dog, I won’t be completely alone in this absolute fucking disaster of a world, right? And then talking to myself won’t be as weird, either. Not that anyone would be around to care.

 

Sorry. I’m being vague. My mind is racing right now, I don’t know what to say … I guess something that would actually be relevant for you, would be a great place to start. What would that be?

 

[MOTOR ROARING]

 

Funny, how so many things happened to me and I still don’t find a single thing to talk about. It’s all related to my friends, and I want to forget them now. I don’t want to waste any thoughts to them anymore. I guess it’s just me … going home … ah. Maybe I’ll tell you more about where I’m from, or what my life was like before.

 

Wait, I better put this on the passenger’s seat …

 

There we go.

 

Ah. It happened two years ago, and before that, I had just finished college. I worked in my parents’ shop, and I tried hard to land a job at the video game programming company that I wanted to work for. I spent most of my time with my dog Toben, but like I said, he’s in heaven now. If that even exists.

 

I had many, many friends. I was always out and about and having fun. We would go to amusement parks, or the cinema, karaoke, that sort of thing. Art museums were fun too with them _—_ I remember visiting one for a school project for which he had had three months time. We still went at like, two days before it was due. We pulled the essays out of our asses and still managed to get an okay grade. Never delayed any projects again. My family took great care of me as well. I was happy! Really happy. I was always busy, yet in a way that wasn’t overwhelming me and I seriously took pride in who I was and had fun.

 

Eventually, I, um ... I met a man I really liked. I don’t want to say his name here … we weren’t too close though, it was more of a crush I guess, and he didn’t like me back … I think that was probably the saddest period of my life before everything, the whole world, fell apart. I got over it quickly though.

 

That’s who I am. That’s me. I want to share everything about me now. And I like to believe that there’s more to myself, but I haven’t figured it out yet. I like … I like taking my time. I have plenty today. I would tell you my name, but I think it’s best if you don’t know. That way I don’t feel like I’m sharing things I shouldn’t be sharing.

 

Wait. You can’t see this, I -

 

[RATTLING]

 

Oh my god. I might actually throw up. I’m not sure but uh—you can’t see it, um—I think that was an _arm_. An actual human arm? On the road, just like that? Reborn must be close-

 

There they are. I should maybe describe them to you -

 

Two men, one woman. They have the typical swollen, rashed neck. It’s so ugly and disgusting. See, you probably know but, um, for the record, that’s how you recognize Reborn. They look human, but their necks are always so swollen and the bumpy, red rash makes me want to throw up. But to be honest, I think it’s good that they have the bumpy-rash-thing. That way, it doesn’t feel like they’re mindless _humans_ killing each other just because they can.

 

I’m driving slower now, because they’ve spotted me.

 

They’re talking, they’re coming over. Should I stop? Or should I keep driving?

 

I’m stopping. Yes, the car isn’t moving anymore, and this might’ve been the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.

 

[KNOCKING]

 

He knocked on the window. He’s staring at me, a middle aged man, balding, a foreigner, I should probably stop talking. He’s looking at the audio recorder. I will - I will lower the window now.

 

_Who are you?_

 

I’m not telling you.

 

_Get the fuck out of here. What are you doing here? Leave. This is no place for you. I might actually kill you._

 

But it doesn’t look like you’re going to, does it? I mean we’re just having a … friendly conversation?

 

_Piss off. This is our territory. If you don’t drive away as far as this piece of shit allows, I will kill you and eat your guts._

 

I didn’t know, is there any way

 

 

 

[DAMAGED MATERIAL.  We have tasked multiple skilled individuals to restore this part of the tape, but every attempt was unsuccessful .]

 

… so I think I will just drive through now. There doesn’t seem to be anyone here. I don’t want to talk to anymore Reborn, ever. Never again.

 

This is the forest. A green, yellow-ish landscape, different shades, and all that stuff. When I was little, my kindergarten group and I played here all the time. It was part of some project, my parents said. To, I don’t fucking know, unite us with nature or something. Maybe it worked, maybe it didn’t. I don’t actually care, and you probably don’t either.

 

(…)

 

It’s funny, isn’t it? I’m just here talking to my damn self, pretending that I’m totally not going nuts or something like that. I’m driving past the forest now.

 

I can see other people, I think they’re Reborn. To be honest, I’ve never met other survivors, excluding my friends. Is the world dead already?

 

They’re running after me. I’m gonna have to drive a little faster.

 

[ The two hour silence following this has been cut out. ]

 

I’m home. I can’t actually believe I made it. And I didn’t expect… somehow I didn’t think it would be this empty.

 

I’m leaving the car now.

 

[THUD]

 

What happened here? I see more cars, and dry blood surrounds them. I see dead birds. The cars’ doors are wide open and the cars are arranged in some kind of … egg circle. Oval, or whatever. There seems to be something within the circle, but I can’t really see it because of the truck. The truck is black and the paint is coming off, kinda looks like scratches.

 

I want to see what’s in the circle.

 

Wait is that-?

 

It is.

 

You don’t want to know, you really don’t. But I should tell you, that’s the purpose of this tape … I guess you can imagine _a pile_. I won’t say what it is, but if you keep my surroundings in mind … it’s awful.

 

(...)

 

Maybe I’ll get… I’ll just … go inside for- for now…

 

(…)

 

Oh, hi? Hi!

 

I was just, just looking for something! I will not bother you any longer!

  


[DOOR OPENS]

 

Fucking hell-

 

[VOMITING]

 

It stinks. It smells like death and shit and piss and everything disgusting you can think of, oh my god-

 

I can’t believe this is my parents' house.

 

Where does the smell come from, for god’s sake! Please I need to get rid of this-

 

Okay, the kitchen. I can see it, oh god. What _is_ that?

 

_Who are you?_

 

Oh my fucking god, I live here! Get the hell out!

 

_No one’s been here in two years, you fucker. Don’t lie to me. The last person that was here sure as hell wasn’t you._

 

Get out! Get out, get out!

 

[INCOHERENT MUMBLING]

 

[STEPS]

 

[DOOR SLAMMING]

 

I- I never would’ve thought she would actually lis- listen. Listen. I never would’ve thought she would listen. She left the house. I hope she won’t ever come back. Where are my keys? I need to lock my house. But first, I need to get rid of this _fucking smell-_

 

[STEPS]

 

The carpet is stained with blood and whatever. What is this mess? What did she do here?

 

Oh _please_ , _no_.

 

My neighbors. My fucking neighbors. In my kitchen. My neighbors are dead in my kitchen. My neighbors are -

 

[VOMITING]

 

[THUD]

 

[ We assume that the creator had fallen unconscious. The tape keeps on running for about six hours, no sounds except for irregular breathing are to be heard. We cut those six hours out. We listened to this period of time in shifts to make sure we don’t miss any details, but after doing so and repeating it multiple times, we are convinced that there were no crucial details we let slip. ]

 

(…)

 

My head. My head. I could kill for Aspirin right now.

 

[COUGHING]

 

Ah, the tape is ( incoherent  ). And the _smell_ , please, someone just end this right now.

 

It’s my house, but it’s different than I had remembered. I never would’ve thought I’d have to cleanse my place of ... corpses. At least I have something to do now. Not the best activity, but something. It should keep me occupied for a while, it might take me too long to get … used … to it?

 

I don’t think I have the tools to properly remove the blood from my floor … but there’s a store nearby, you know? We can visit it later.

 

Fuck this. I’m talking to this audio recorder like it’s a person.

 

Why am I even recording this? It’s just me having a crisis. No one cares. No one cared, no one cares now, and no one will ever fucking care because you know what? You know what? Sooner or later there won’t be any-fucking-body to give a shit about me or anyone, really! The time someone could use to build a safe place won’t be spent- spent- listening to some fuck- fuck up rambling about his day and corpses in his house! I don’t give a shit!

 

[CRYING]

 

I miss… I miss my friends. Why did they send me a-away? What did I do? What did I do? What did I do, what did I do, what did I do?

 

[KNOCKING]

 

F-fucking hell. I almost shit my p-pants. There- there’s someone looking at me from outside, through the window. A man my age maybe, staring at me, wide eyed. He’s knocking at my window with his knuck- knuckles.

 

[SHOUTING:]

Go away! Piss off! Fuck off! No!

 

[MUFFLED VOICE]

 

I can’t hear you. I don’t _want_ to hear you. Leave me alone, for god’s sake!

 

He disappeared. Where did he go that quickly-? He- my door.

 

[QUICK STEPS, KEYS RATTLING]

 

[SLAM]

 

I’m not letting you inside. Fuck you.

 

[SIGH]

 

They needed to be taken care of. I- I helped her doing so, didn’t I? I did, didn’t I? I worked hard, didn’t I? And then she sent me away. How will she take care of two sick people on her own? Why didn’t I fight for my stupid place in the group?

 

[DIRECTLY INTO THE AUDIO RECORDER]

 

I’m getting tired. I’m getting tired and my friends won’t let me rest. You know, I helped her with the decisions we had to make. They were too weak… maybe she wanted that for herself? That doesn’t make sense. She wouldn’t give up help unless she had a reason to. But I never did anything wrong! I listened to everything- everything she said! Everything! Fucking everything! And I listened when she told me to go away! Why did I? Why did she always hold power over me?

 

I’m tired, audio recorder, I’m tired, you know? So tired. I miss my bed, I’m going to go look for my room. Not that it ever left, or something I’m- just talking nonsense. I’m not making any sense anymore, whatever. Maybe I can escape the smell like this.

 

[STEPS.  Presumably upstairs .]

 

It smells less terrible here. I don’t want to puke my lungs out for a change. I will clean the kitchen up when I find the mental strength to do so.

 

There’s my room, you see, it’s on the opposite of my parents’ room. I wonder where they went? Did they survive? They probably didn’t … but I can only hope that they have joined a safe house somewhere.

 

You see, uh, you _hear_ : this is my old room. I used to live far away on my own, but I didn’t have the time to travel all the way there, so I came to my hometown instead. I can’t believe my parents kept everything I had left behind in this room … I thought they’d turn it into some kind of, guest room, or I don’t even know. It doesn’t matter.

 

I don’t want to leave this room ever again. But I still want to get a dog, no three dogs, so I’m not completely alone … well, alone, not counting this stupid audio recorder I’m treating like a person. What can I do then, what is my plan?

 

I’ve never planned anything. I just lived, and when I was with my friends, I planned with her. But she took the lead, she always did. She always did …

 

Well, it’s probably best if I go find something to eat. I remember the supermarket, I’ll pay a visit. I haven’t noticed how hungry I actually am. And then, I will see where I can get my dogs. Or maybe I’ll just take one dog. Or maybe two. Maybe I can move into the shelter! (LAUGH) That would be great, but I don’t want to be responsible for that many animals … one dog is okay. Yeah. And then … I will go through my comic collection. Then I’ll visit the library to get more books … do you think I can break into a cinema? Not that there’s anyone who’d forbid it, so technically I wouldn’t be breaking into it. I don’t know if I’ll find out how to get a movie working, I guess I only have to try … that’ll be fun. Maybe. So after the cinema … I’ll go visit the art museum. The possibilities are endless; I can do whatever I want, it’s crazy. Maybe I’ll find a survivor on the way, and make a friend, too.

 

That’d be too much to hope for. It can’t possibly happen.There’s no one.

 

[SIGH]

 

I’m a mess. What am I talking about … making plans as if I wasn’t on my own in this disaster. As if everything was alright. It sure as hell isn’t, and you, whoever may be listening, know that.

 

Maybe you want to know why I decided to start recording in the first place …

 

I don’t actually know. I guess I was—or am—just really … lonely. I have been even when I was with my friends. It’s kinda strange, isn’t it? So weird. To be living with people you’d give your life to protect and still feel lonely. Well, maybe, I’d only given my life for one person. There’s always that one person, right? You love everyone, but that special someone, you love them the most. Maybe you don’t know them well. Maybe you don’t know how they actually feel about you. Or maybe you are painfully aware of it. But that’s okay. All you care about is them, so there is no worry, right? If you’re there for them they must be there for you. Basic rules of friendship, or whatever your relationship is defined as. Still strange. I had this person, and I still felt lonely.

 

Maybe I wanted to … get out. Well, I did, didn’t I? And here I am. All by myself. Again.

 

I need a few days to recover. I need to take my time and think about my future, not just _lonely_ , but actually all by myself. I don’t think that it’ll be easy, but I need to try.

 

And when my mind is clear again, I will talk to you. See you.

 

[Recording Number (1) has ended. Recorded by ??? on ??/??/????.] 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anddd here it is, only a few days later! This has got to be one of my favourite chapters. It's heavily edited, but I even liked the rough draft. I feel like I did pretty good with this. There are things and scenes in this chapter that are really important and hint at the coming chapters, I won't say what though. I feel like some things are pretty obvious, the rest ... nah /wink. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading, I will be back as soon as possible. Might be in two weeks, exams are soon :)


End file.
